the sultan thread
- Thread starter technodoll
- Start date
Let me just start out by saying this is working for me, but may not work for everyone. Depends on the chicken breed I suspect and how aggressive it may be.
I do have some aggressive half breeds in there. They are Old English game bantams mixed with mille fleurs. But they appear to be pullets. The mother of the group is actually a older chick, about 3 months old. She's a silkie mix and should be with the oldest group of chicks but I put her in the shed and she enjoyed having the brooder light while the others had to tuff it out without. Some of the youngest chicks took up with the silkie chick and treated her as mom. They would scream if they lost her in the yard. She's started running them off now like a hen would do when chicks should be on their own.
So to answer your question. 3 months old (hen chick) all the way down to about 1 week. When the new hatching chicks can walk good on their own and are stable on their feet they will be added to the group too.
My group includes mostly known pullet chicks, black sex link, light brahma LF, bantam brahma buff (rooster), silkie mixed, silkies, 2 or 3 polish bantams, sultans, sultan mixes, D'uccle mixed OEGB and baby speckled hamburgs.
The space for the chicks in the shed is really large. It's about 5ft by 4 ft and they have so much room to move around. The older ones don't really run over the little guys but yet the little guys will dive into the older ones at night and burrow under them like they would a mother hen. We have old fish aquariums as a "fence" and the older ones have now taken to perching up on those at night since they no longer need the brooder light. Meanwhile the little chicks can move in and out of the light and also get the chance to leave the shed during the day if they choose. Most choose not to except the hamburgs. I've been finding those 6 all over the yard peeping their heads off cause they are lost. I'm shocked I haven't lost at least one of those yet.
I do have some aggressive half breeds in there. They are Old English game bantams mixed with mille fleurs. But they appear to be pullets. The mother of the group is actually a older chick, about 3 months old. She's a silkie mix and should be with the oldest group of chicks but I put her in the shed and she enjoyed having the brooder light while the others had to tuff it out without. Some of the youngest chicks took up with the silkie chick and treated her as mom. They would scream if they lost her in the yard. She's started running them off now like a hen would do when chicks should be on their own.
So to answer your question. 3 months old (hen chick) all the way down to about 1 week. When the new hatching chicks can walk good on their own and are stable on their feet they will be added to the group too.
My group includes mostly known pullet chicks, black sex link, light brahma LF, bantam brahma buff (rooster), silkie mixed, silkies, 2 or 3 polish bantams, sultans, sultan mixes, D'uccle mixed OEGB and baby speckled hamburgs.
The space for the chicks in the shed is really large. It's about 5ft by 4 ft and they have so much room to move around. The older ones don't really run over the little guys but yet the little guys will dive into the older ones at night and burrow under them like they would a mother hen. We have old fish aquariums as a "fence" and the older ones have now taken to perching up on those at night since they no longer need the brooder light. Meanwhile the little chicks can move in and out of the light and also get the chance to leave the shed during the day if they choose. Most choose not to except the hamburgs. I've been finding those 6 all over the yard peeping their heads off cause they are lost. I'm shocked I haven't lost at least one of those yet.
That's great you have such a harmonious flock! I have three silkies I am hoping will become good broodies and look after the youngsters like that. I have a suspicion they are a bunch of boys though.. I have some crested legbars that seem to be very un legbar like, two of my silkies chose one of these as a mum even though they where hatched only the day before! They stuck together for a while but now they seem to be normal flock mates.
Great pictures, I am enjoying following along.
5 eggs were due today. first two hatched out mixed chicks, 3rd is pure sultan missing toenails. 4th I checked since it had not done a external pip. It was dead. When I took it from it's shell to find the problem, it was obvious what the problem was. It was severely cross beaked. It was also missing the eye on one side. 5th egg died on about day 19 but was a nicely formed chick according to my husband, I did not have the heart to look.
I think with me wanting the high skull domes I will see problems like this. It is making me reevaluate my ideal sultan.
I think with me wanting the high skull domes I will see problems like this. It is making me reevaluate my ideal sultan.
Sorry to hear about the chicks that didnt make it and the missing toenails.
Are the others doing fine?
Marie
Marie
One has weak legs, it's the cutest of the mixed. Very, very fluffy. We are going to give it a few days to see if it gets stronger, if not my husband will cull it for me. I can't stand to do the chickens. Strange but I can do the button quail if needed, just not the chickens.
But the other two, one mixed and one pure sultan with missing nails, are doing fine. I put a week old sultan in with them to show them how to eat and drink.
I'm thinking of using the next two weeks worth of eggs out of the sultans. I can feed my budgies and cockatiels on them and not have to deal with heart break. I'm pretty sure the adult flock I have were all related, including the recently rehomed rooster. I'm hoping with the two new roosters I will not have issues like this.
But, since I did have a cross beaked rooster who was sibling or some relation to Flossy, my pullet, it makes me wonder if it could be genetic and that was Flossy's chick. CB the rooster never bred and he passed away some time ago. But I've read different articles which say some cross beaks can be genetic and some are developmental. I've made a post in the genetics section to see if people who breed crested have issues more than non crested with dead in shell, failure to hatch, cross beak and so forth.
Bummed.
I know Flossy's egg I set on 13th died in shell but was normal formed. The only other egg I know for sure was Flossy's also died late, just days from hatch. You can see from my avatar picture, that's CB, the skull vaults from Flossy's line is really big. I've been reading about silkies and their vaults and it is recommended to not breed vaulted to vaulted. I suppose I really should just wait and see what the new roosters produce with the hens I have. Then I'll figure out what to do from there.
But the other two, one mixed and one pure sultan with missing nails, are doing fine. I put a week old sultan in with them to show them how to eat and drink.
I'm thinking of using the next two weeks worth of eggs out of the sultans. I can feed my budgies and cockatiels on them and not have to deal with heart break. I'm pretty sure the adult flock I have were all related, including the recently rehomed rooster. I'm hoping with the two new roosters I will not have issues like this.
But, since I did have a cross beaked rooster who was sibling or some relation to Flossy, my pullet, it makes me wonder if it could be genetic and that was Flossy's chick. CB the rooster never bred and he passed away some time ago. But I've read different articles which say some cross beaks can be genetic and some are developmental. I've made a post in the genetics section to see if people who breed crested have issues more than non crested with dead in shell, failure to hatch, cross beak and so forth.
Bummed.
I know Flossy's egg I set on 13th died in shell but was normal formed. The only other egg I know for sure was Flossy's also died late, just days from hatch. You can see from my avatar picture, that's CB, the skull vaults from Flossy's line is really big. I've been reading about silkies and their vaults and it is recommended to not breed vaulted to vaulted. I suppose I really should just wait and see what the new roosters produce with the hens I have. Then I'll figure out what to do from there.
Pardon my ignorance but what is skull vault?
It's the head bump, not the crest, but the actual knot on the top of the chicks head at birth. Some are big, some are small.
- Aug 1, 2015
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